Ice-forming apparatus



y 6, 1930- N. B. WOLCOTT 1,757,033

I CE FORMING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1927 gn-uewtot affonlur Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEIL IB. WOLCOTT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR '10 THERMO- ICE CORPORATION, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK ICE-FORMING APPARATUS Application filed August 13, 1927. Serial No. 212,733.

This invention relates to an apparatus for forming small blocks of ice such as to be used in drinking glasses for water, ice tea, and the like, and has for its object to provide such 5 a device which may be placed in a kitchen, dining room or any other preferred location where it is readily accessible to those having use for the ice.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an ice forming apparatus which consists primarily of an open tray provided with a plurality of compartments for molding the ice blocks and .which are so designed as to permit the blocks to descend therefrom by gravity without resorting to the ordinary expedients of partly melting the blocks, removing the partitions or shaking the pan.

A further object of the invention consists 20 in providinga compartment pan in which the bottoms of the compartments are normally closed by means of a pivoted tray which when swung to its lowered position serves to receive the formed blocks from the pan and direct them to a point where they may be readily removed for use.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of an ice forming apparatus in which an exceedingly low temperature is produced, such as 30 to40 F. below zero, whereby the ice blocks may be formed in a relatively short period (10 to 15 minutes) and the operation repeated so as to serve a large number of people, as for instance, in a large restaurant. A further object of the invention resides in the construction of an apparatus as hereinbefore indicated and in which the molds employed in forming the ice blocks are filled with water directly from a faucet.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing; in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, parts being broken away to more clearly show the structure of the molding compartments; the lowered position of the tray being indicated by dotted lines; and

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with the closure in open position and parts of the upper wall of the pan broken away.-

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, the numeral 1 indicates the frame of the ice forming apparatus and is formed of the horizontal braces 2 and the vertical supports 3. The upper ends of the vertical support or standards 3 are bent inwardly and downwardly as indicated by the numeral 4 and have suspended from their lower ends the pan 5.

This pan is of rectangular shape and is provided with an upper wall 6, a lower wall 7, and side and end walls, so as to form a completely inclosed receptacle except for the molds which are formed therein. For this purpose the upper and lower walls 6 and 7 are provided with a plurality of openings 8 and 9 which are arranged to register one with the other. The openings 9 in the lower wall 7 are slightly larger than the openings 8 in the wall 6 and circular partitions 10 of a substantially frusto-conical shape are secured to the plates 6 and 7 at the edges of the respective openings so as to provide the molds 11 which. are flared outward slightly in a downward direction, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Pivoted at one end of the pan 5 is a tray 12 provided with a bottom wall 13 and side and end walls 14 which are of a slightly greater depth than the side and end walls of I the pan 5. These walls 14 at the-end of the tray remote from the pivot are provided with the upward extensions 15 which serve as a guard in collecting the blocks of ice when the tray is moved to its lowered position as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. V

The tray 12 is adapted to serve as a closure for the bottom openings or tubes 11 and for this purpose a lining of rubber or the like 16 covers the bottom 13 of the tray. The end of the tray opposite its pivotis provided with a pair of arms or handles 17 of resilient material and they are adapted to rest upon the top of the beveled lugs 18 when the tray is in its upper or horizontal position. Obviously, the tray may be lowered by'merely flexing the arms 17 outward slightly so as to permit them to pass downwardly beyond the lugs 18.

A cover 19 is preferabl pivoted to one of the longitudinal edges 0 the pan5 and 1s adapted to close the upper ends of the molds 11, although it will be understood that m,s o far as the formation of the blocks of ice is concerned, this cover may be dispensed wlth; its purpose being to exclude dust and the like from the molds.

The molds 11 being spaced apart as above described, rovide a tortuous passageway through which the refrigerating fluid s adapted to pass and the pipe 20 which 1s provided with the manually operated valve 21 serves to conduct the refrigerating fluid to the pan; and the inner end of this pipe is centrally disposed within the pan to more readily diffuse the fluid. The refrigerating fluid may, of course, be brought from any desired source, but it-is preferred that the present-ice forming apparatus be used in conjunction with a refrigerating apparatus such as disclosed in my pending application for refrigerating apparatus, Serial No. 166,- 662, filed February 8, 1927 and which is adapted toprovide a temperature of approximately F. below zero. g

The refrigerating fluid, after expanding through the passages of the pan is carried away therefrom by means of the pipes 22 and 23 which have their open ends preferably disposed in diagonally opposite corners on the interior of the pan so as to more readily collect the expanded gases and return them through pipe 24 to the refrigerating machine.

The numeral 25. indicates an ordinary water pipe provided with a faucet 26 by means of which the molds are adapted to be filled with water from time to time, as it is desired to form the blocks of ice. An overflow pipe 27 is also provided and is located at the bottom of the tray 12 so as to drain off any water which may find its way into the tray while the molds 8 are being filled, thereby avoiding the formation of ice in the tray which might render diflicult the lowering of the tray when it is desired to remove the ice blocks from the mold.

In operation the tray 12 is swung to a horizontal position as shown in full lines in Figure 1 with the arms 17 disposed on the upper edges of the lugs 18. The faucet 26 is then opened and water discharged onto'the top of the pan 5 between the extensions 15 of the side and end walls of the tray; the cover 19, of course, having previously been raised to open position as indicated in Figure 2. The water discharging from the faucet 26 will run over the top of the pan 5 and into the molds 11 until they are filled, at which time the faucet 26 will be shut ofl.

It will be understood that the tra 12 serves to retain the water in the mol s 11 and also' prevents the water from running over the sides of the pan due to the fact that direct contact of the cooling walls 10 of the molds, the temperature of the the side and end walls of the tray are slightflly higher than the top of the pan. The mol 3 being filled with fresh water the valve 21 is opened and the cooling fluid diffused through the passages around the molds 11 and in direct contact with the walls 10 thereof and is passed outwardly through the dis charge pipes 22 and 23. Due primarily to the fluid with the water is very rapidly lowered and solid ice blocks may be formed'in a very short time, that is, between 10 and 15 minutes.

The ice blocks being formed, the valve 21 is again closed. The arms 17 of the tray may then be spread outwardly to disengage them from the lugs 18' and the tray brought into lowered position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The ice blocks formed in the molds will readily descend throu h the open lower ends of the molds due to t e slight taper on the walls thereof, and the blocks will slide down the bottom of the tray to the lowermost end thereof, where they may be readily removed for use.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be observed that I have devised a novel type of ice forming apparatus in which blocks of ice for use in drinking glasses and the like may be rapidly formed in any desired number; that the apparatus is so designed as to permit of its use in the open air, such as the interior of kitchens, dining rooms, and

' the like; that it is readily accessible; that,

due to the shape of the molds the ice blocks are automatically discharged therefrom without the necessity of slightly melting the blocks, removing partitions, or shaking the tray, as has been common practice heretofore; and that the ice blocks when so discharged are automatically directed to a common point where they maybe removed for use.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I now believe to be the best embodiment of the invention, but I do not wish to be understood thereby as limiting myself or the scope of the invention, as

many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention; all such I aim to include in the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ice forming apparatus including a pan provided with a plurality of compartments open at the top and bottom, and a tray pivoted. at one end of said pan and forming a closure for the bottom of said compartments. r

2. An ice forming apparatus including a closed receptacle having a plurality of openings in its top and bottom walls, a plurality V of upwardly tapered tubes disposed between no i said walls and having their respective ends secured to the edges of said openings, a pipefor directing a refri crating fluid into the receptacle and aroun said tubes, and a tray for closing the lower ends of said tubes.

3. An ice 'forming apparatus including a pan provided with a plurality ofspaced, open-ended molds providing intervenin spaces through whic a refrigerating flui may be circulated, and a pivoted tray provided with side and end walls of substantially the depthof said molds and adapted to closethe lower ends of said molds. v

4. In an ice forming apparatus, a receptacle having a plurality of molding compartments 0 en at their lower ends a removable closure or closing said open ends of the compartments, and packing material on said closure adapted to form a watertight joint 29 with the lower ends of the compartments when the same are closed, said cl sure forming a tra into which blocks of ice may fall from sai compartments when the lower ends of the latter are opened by removal of said closure.

5. In an ice forming a paratus, a receptacle having a plurality o molding compartments open at their lower ends, a frame on which said receptacle is mounted, a closure 30 pivoted to said receptacle for closing the open lower ends of the compartments, and packing material on said closure adapted to form a =..water-tight joint with the lower ends of they compartments when the same are closed.

NEIL B. WOLOOTT. 

